Burning Man 2008

crazycal · 06-28-2008, 04:27 PM

Hey guys, how is everyone. It's been a while since I've posted on here. I hope everyone is well.

I wanted to know if anybody is going to Burning Man this year? I am going with a friend that has gone for the last five years (at least). I am looking forward to the trip. It will be the first trip with one of the busses. Just wondering if any others will be there?

lapeer20m · 06-28-2008, 11:14 PM

this will be the first time i have not been there in 5 years.

Xtevan · 06-30-2008, 03:33 PM

Cal,

I have received my ticket and will be there. Hopefully will be there in the bus. Last years was my first time and it was unreal. I am hoping to meet some fellow burning bus folks in person. I really want to check out Elliot's bus and his kinetic creations.

My partner in crime may end having a shoulder rebuilt in the next month, if I end up driving by myself I'll may have to take my truck. We will be camping near center camp, last year our camp was placed at just off 6:00 and E. Do you know where you're camping or are camping with a theme camp we can find?

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...eoid=805642751

crazycal · 06-30-2008, 03:48 PM

I have never been. My friend knows where we will set up camp. I will let you know when I find out.

elkoskoolie · 07-01-2008, 11:54 AM

This will be my 14th straight year. Helps to live 90 miles away!! The wife and I will be arriving on Playa on Aug 7, start working on the 8th. We will be camping in a center camp staff camp named "American Style", I think it'll be on the alley (new this year) to the 3 0'clock side of 6 o'clock. Look for a white Gillig 35' pusher, tinted windows, A/C and solar on the roof. Looks like a prison bus. Ask for Sweetthang and WD. We'll probably be out working, so leave a note!!

crazycal · 07-02-2008, 02:29 AM

Any pointers from a vet to a virgin would be mucho appreciated. I've been putting together a list of stuff that I think I might need, but I'm sure there's plenty that I'm forgetting. I am trying to go through all the mechanicals and make sure everything is ok.

lapeer20m · 07-02-2008, 03:40 PM

bring blinkies for you and your bicycle to wear! very very important. nothing brings out the wrath in your fellow burners like walking around at night without any lights on.

drink lots of water

that reflective stuff they make "space blankets" out of is great to put on the outside of your tent. lets you sleep in an extra couple hours

bacon! you can't bring too much bacon. i don't know what it is about hte playa, but even some vegetarians will cave in and decide to partake in some of your yummy bacon

bring lots of socks, lots of extra batteries to run your blinki thingies as well as yoru flashlight, , participate instead of spectate, backpacks are your friend, so are camelbacks, bring a bike if you can, remember to watch out for rebar....remember to mark your own rebar so it's plainly visible at nite, and add some safety protectors to the rebar. Remember, safety 3rd! warm clothes for night time, don't miss the critical tits parade. i like to eat simply most of the time, like sandwiches and chips.

always remember to wear sunscreen. i especially like the kind that sprays on, kind of like hairspray.

if you're coming from a long ways away....here's what i like to do. Drive non-stop for 2,025 miles from detroit to winnemucca nevada. Spend the nite in a hotel so i can take a shower and go swimming. then buy all my groceries, water, etc and head out to the playa. I find this little stop really helps to make all of us feel relaxed before we head to the burn.

crazycal · 07-02-2008, 11:05 PM

Cool stuff. I definately would have forgotten the bacon. My trip is only 325 miles. Not bad at all. Just wondering how you get your spots. Is it like the OK land rush when they open the gates?

lapeer20m · 07-03-2008, 07:49 AM

for first timers, i think the best thing to do is to visit the eplaya, you can find the link on the bm website.

a bunch of the land that is near the inner part of black rock city is already spoken for. the plots of land are given to theme camps. there are "open" places to camp, usually further out. Anyone can start a theme camp, and you can pick any theme, or have no theme at all...but i think it's too late to have your own this year. My suggestion for first timers is to log onto the eplaya and find a theme camp to join. Some are free, others require a donation to help cover the cost of infrastructure. as an example, i camped with a theme camp called the black rock international burner hostel the first year i went.....(and the 2nd and the 4th.) These guys set up cooking, shade, shower facilities, and brought like 50 bicycles for us to use as well as generators. cost was like $50 bucks or something. Another advantage of a theme camp is the really cool people you meet.

Xtevan · 07-03-2008, 12:24 PM

I spent a lot of time studying up on Eplaya and the Burning Virgins Tribe at tribe.net. Trying to get a better idea of what to bring.

We kept our food really simple- lots of canned/foil packed(retort) that was ready to eat. We ate less than a third of what we brought. When we tumbled back in to camp we usually were tired and would not have want to try to cook any thing complicated.

If you a bring a tent or shade structure(car port) you will need rebar stakes. Some folks candy cane the tops, others put empty water bottles on top of them to protect your feet after dark. I welded a pair of washers on to mine to place them inside the carport poles and pull the carport straight down with ratchet straps. My 49.99 carports handled the wind as well as the nicer costco ones only because they were firmly secured to the ground.

Pacing yourself is important- The vibe can turn you into a veritable ferret on crack(with the chemicals not needed at all)- 7 days of continuous over stimulation

Make a possibles/daily survival bag with water,sunscreen, power bar etc never leave camp with out it- it is not uncommon to walk over to the porta potties and not come back to camp for several hours

Xtevan · 07-03-2008, 12:40 PM

I like Jason's idea to get a room the night before. We reserved a cheap casino hotel room at the Sands in Reno to recover before heading home, best $34 I've spent in a long time. It was dead after the temple burn so we left camp about 1:00 am. It was around 5:00 when we got out of exodus and off the playa, we slept in parking lot till we got our room at noon.

Cheap rooms in Reno thread
http://eplaya.burningman.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0

crazycal · 07-03-2008, 12:48 PM

More good stuff! Keep it coming. I want to be well prepared for this trip. Not like usual. Start round things up and packing 5 hours before a trip.

crazycal · 07-03-2008, 12:54 PM

The hotel/motel thing is a great idea, but since my trip will only be about 6-8 hours, I don't think I'll need it. Also, I was possibly going to do a ride (as in fuel share) share to help pay for some of the fuel. Who knows how much diesel will be in two months. Seems like oil is up a few dollars every day.

crazycal · 07-08-2008, 03:00 AM

I found this on YouTube. Has some tips for Burning Man. This guy is pretty funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ122...eature=related

elkoskoolie · 07-10-2008, 06:10 PM

What everyone else said:
Bike is almost necessary these days; we're talking a CITY with 40,000 people!! It's BIG!
Sunscreen, lots o socks, a way to carry LOTS of water during the day, and a good hat with a wide, shady brim and a neck strap thingy. It WILL blow off.
Costumes.
Lights/blinky things for your body and bike. Supposed to be a new moon, which means DARK. Having thousands of messed up people going in ten-thousand different directions at different speeds all at the same time, suddenly dodging the three intersecting art vehicles while everyone's turned to look at the fire thing and the rest are trying to find their friends they just lost.......You really want to at least have a chance of being seen at night. Besides, how else will you find your bike in the pile of other lost bikes??

Stuff to gift/give away.

Lots of beer/booze/ what have you. You'll give away much more than you thought possible. You'll imbibe more than you thought possible also.

Dust mask, goggles.

Remember your meds, extra glasses, extra contact lenses.......

Garbage bags.

Go to Costco and get the big boxes of Kirkland baby wipes. Get all that dust out of the nooks and crannies.

Lotion for feet. Many people get "Playa foot", a severe drying and cracking of feet, esp heels. DO NOT wear sandals if you're remotely prone to dry skin. Don't ask how I know.

crazycal · 07-10-2008, 09:25 PM

Can't wait!

Xtevan · 07-11-2008, 11:35 AM

http://www.playazon.com/home.html

They have got all your BM needs

Elliot Naess · 07-25-2008, 09:32 PM

Well now. All this going on, and I didn't know about it! Shows you how little time I have for hanging out on the forum these days.

But I also hang out a little on the Burning Man "ePlaya" forum, and boy-o-boy, yes, there is a ton of information there. Just go to burningman.com and click on ePlaya -- somewhere in the top banner of links, I think.

And of course, READ THE SURVIVAL GUIDE! This cannot be said often enough.

This year, I'll be a guest in somebody else's camp, with no room for more people, but you really don't need to join an existing camp. Sure, there is a bit of a land rush when the gates open Monday morning (August 25), but there is lots of unreserved space -- the place doesn't really fill up until the middle of the week. Just talk to your potensial neighbors and find out how loud they plan to be. Quiet folks should camp near each other and loud ones near each other -- not mixed.

Black Rock City is loudest at the top, and at the inner streets, with the "worst" on 2 O'clock and 10 O'clock streets, and quieter on the outer streets around the bottom of the clock dial. Just very generally speaking.

With a bus, you already have shelter from the wind, but it would help on the heat to cover the bus with something -- with air circulation in between. A big roof deck is a wonderful thing under the sun.

You will also want to have some shade outside the bus, like a big awning -- which needs to be very sturdy against the wind. Having the bus to attach it to really helps.

Never guzzle water like a bath tub drain -- you can get sick (even die) that way. Sip steadily all day, and include some Gatorade for the vital minerals. (Or maybe some sort of salt tablets? You'll almost certainly find the answer on the ePlaya forum.)

Again, read all the info on the web site! Burning Man is a VERY WELL ORGANIZED chaos. Heed the information they have published for your benefit.

Elliot Naess · 07-26-2008, 04:16 PM

By the way, I have a spare ticket for Burning Man 2008. Tickets are now $295, but this is a $250 ticket for sale at face value plus postage. PayPal, or Postal Money Order, or cash.

Be aware, there will be no ticket sales at the gate this year.

(Of course, if the tickets sell out, which they may very well do this year, I can get a Gazillion for my spare! Bwahaha!)

Elliot Naess · 07-26-2008, 08:38 PM

Me again.

WARNING. LONG READ, NO PICTURES.

For those who wonder what all this “Burning Man” fuss is about, I’ll venture a brief description of the phenomenon.

The Burning Man Art Festival started over 20 years ago as a small beach party in San Francisco. The bonfire was a nailed-together wood stick-figure, which/who became known as the burning “man”.

After a few years, the event outgrew Baker Beach and moved to a much roomier site in North-West Nevada -- the Black Rock Desert.

47.000 people participated in 2007. The limit is 50.000, so this year may sell out.

Burning Man lasts a week -- not counting the many weeks of preparations and the year round administrative work.

There are no spectators. You buy a ticket to PARTICIPATE. That said, there are no specific requirements for your participation -- you WILL be participating, whether you planned to or not. (This is a good thing.)

NOW. Here is the big one -- the one you cannot stand waiting for any longer: Burning Man is a giant amusement park, art show and costume party where the visitors themselves create and operate all the attractions and exhibits. In short, there is an empty desert, then there is a week-long dense concentration of amusements, art and partying, and then there is an empty desert again. And you and I -- and 46.998 of our closest friends -- do it all ourselves.

...Except... the organizers provide porta-potties, a hospital and first aid stations, a (very good) fire department, safety patrols, and they sell ice. And many other services from ticket sales to reserving space for larger camps and art projects.

(The question has been raised; Is Burning Man anything like Rainbow Gathering? I have not been to a Rainbow Gathering, but from what I have read, Burning Man could be called Rainbow-Gathering-Done-Right.)

IMPORTANT: Burning Man is not for everybody. Participants are mostly recruited by word of mouth -- handpicked by those who have been there before. I noticed in the program that there was a Quaker Church meeting out there. And if you go to any kind of “A” meetings, there are definitely every kind of such in Black Rock City. And classes in oral sex. Contests, even.

Yep, it’s NOT the County Fair.
Some participants go naked. Burning Man is held on federal public land, and the Bureau of Land Management apparently (check with your lawyer) has a policy of enforcing dress codes only when they receive a complaint. Clearly, so far, no-one in Black Rock City has complained. But most participants wear costumes. You can wear street clothes, but you will seem -- and feel -- a bit out of place.

SO... What about all this heat and dust and lack of water? The heat and dust are there. You bring your own water. No biggie. Except that you MUST READ THE SURVIVAL GUIDE, AND FOLLOW IT. It’s on the web site, but when you buy a ticket, you get a big thick printed Survival Guide with it.

Burning Man is a Leave No Trace event. That means that when you leave, you take EVERYTHING with you. That includes your dirty wash water, the button that fell off your shirt, and every last scrap of orange peel -- even if your close-friend-number 36.788 dropped it. When you leave your camp site, there WILL be no trace that you were ever there. NONE. It’s pretty cool, really. Like a magic act. Poof! It’s that poof that convinces the BLM to issue next year’s permit.

Economy. With the exception of ice sales, Black Rock City operates on a Gift Economy. Not even bartering. Gifting. It’s another neat thing!

Photography. No commercial photography, and no video at all, without a permit.

Anecdote: I had the fine experience of riding one of my Kinetic Kontraptions when a man asked very politely for permission to photograph me and my machine. I said “of course!” I stopped and posed comically and he took the picture. We then continued where we were each headed -- me fully dressed, he stark naked. (And HE asked ME permission -- get it?!)

How often do I, straight laced upright citizen and member of the Lions Club, talk with people who wear their hair in dreadlocks? Answer: Normally pretty much never -- and at Burning Man, all the time. It’s pretty cool.

What sort of people go to Burning Man? Well, something like 70 percent of them have a college degree. I know of a couple of businesses that bring or send employees as a team building exercise. Well... aren’t there any dirt poor hippies? Yep, those also.

Vehicles. A major element of Burning Man is the Mutant Vehicles. These must be registered in advance, and are the only motorized vehicles allowed to move in Black Rock City for the duration of the event. Quite a few of them are old school buses -- yes, party buses.

Transportation. Bicycles. Expendable bicycles with fat tires. With decorations.

Fire. There is lots of fire. Strictly regulated for safety.

Lights. MANDATORY! Your camp and your person and your bicycle must all be well lit at night. Yes, you will be out all night.

Music. Wall to wall “techno” dance rhythms. Loud. 24/7. But also every other type of music you can name -- they just struggle a bit to be heard. There is a campaign on to have opera this year. Way back in the quieter camps I saw -- and listened to -- a lady playing a full size upright piano.

Fireworks. I thought I had seen fireworks before. I hadn’t seen squat. But no personal fireworks -- you are living in a tent city!

I could go on and on forever.

But I’m outta breath now, so here comes the GRAND FINALE:
After my first trip to Burning Man in 2006, I concluded that Burning Man was THE FIRST REAL VACATION I HAD EVER HAD. Leave your cell phone at home -- it doesn’t work out there. You’ll be isolated from the “default world” for a week. Only you can decide if you ought to do that.

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